Structure of Sc₂O₃ films epitaxially grown on α -Al₂O₃ (0001)

Authors

• A.R. Kortan, OFS Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey
• N. Kopylov, OFS Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey
• J. Kwo, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin Chu, Taiwan
• M. Hong, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin Chu, Taiwan
• C.P. Chen, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin Chu, Taiwan
• J.P. Mannaerts, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin Chu, Taiwan
• Sy_Hwang Liou, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

January 2006

Comments

Published by American Institute of Physics. Appl. Phys. Lett, 88, 021906 (2006). ©2006 American Institute of Physics. Permission to use. http://jap.aip.org/jap/.

Abstract

The crystal structure of scandium oxide films epitaxially grown on α -Al₂O₃ (0001) under an ultrahigh-vacuum is studied by single-crystal x-ray diffraction. The Sc₂O₃ film grows in bixbyite phase on the basal (0001) surface of the sapphire substrate with its (111) axis aligned parallel to the substrate normal. In-plane orientation of the film, however, exhibits two distinct growth directions that are defined by the two possible surface orientations of the stepped α -Al₂O₃ substrate. The atomic structure of the high-quality epitaxial film is fully relaxed and the film has unusual thickness uniformity.